Klaus Härö, whose previous films “Elina” and “Mother of Mine” ran very successfully in Lübeck, now presents a film about a dark chapter in the history of post-war Sweden: 17-year old Gertrud grows up in an impoverished family and is put into a home for young women after her mother dies. Refusing to submit to the rules, Gertrud soon attracts attention when she begins an affair with a young man. In order to subjugate her into the system, Gertrud is to undergo compulsory sterilization. Thousands of Swedish women from poor family were sterilized in the 1950s. Behind it stood an agreement between doctors and politicians to keep the birth rate low from families with a low income. Only in recent years has Sweden reappraised this long-standing taboo. Klaus Härö has created an impressive melodrama long to be remembered, full of exquisite images, with expressive actors and a sensual story, based on the life of the screenwriter’s mother.